Taking Care
by Dori-MinguMegami
Summary: Haruhi is in need of a little help. With the advice and ploting of a few schemeing relatives Mori gets to be the one to take care of her. MoriXHaruhi rated T just in case.
1. Asking for Help

**Chapter One**

Haruhi leant against the kitchen bench and stared at the clock on the wall. Her father was supposed to have finished his shift over an hour ago. There was no reason that she could think of, for him to be this late unless there was a serious problem.

Ever since she was a little girl Haruhi had been aware that there were people in the world who hated her father just because he wore skirts and bothered with make up. As much as she tried not to think about it, thoughts of her daddy being attacked as he left the bar were flitting through her head and adding to her panic.

Another minute ticked by and Haruhi pushed off from the bench to pace a circuit around the apartment. Years ago she had been persuaded to promise him not to walk about the streets alone at night. It was a promise that he had asked her to renew every year. It was one of the few rules that Ranka Fujioka truly enforced and she knew it was because of situations like this.

Haruhi started running through her options. Calling the police would get her nowhere. They were too busy fighting crime to go looking for a missing dad who was barely an hour late and she couldn't go out and look for him alone. As she ran though the list of acquaintances in her apartment complex, Haruhi began to realise just how old most of her neighbours really were.

Her only other option was to call someone in the host club for help. Tamaki would be completely hopeless and Haruhi really didn't have the patience to spare on his dramatics at the moment. The Hitachiin twins would probably be just as pointless, though more sarcastic. That left Kyoya, Hunny or Mori.

As efficient as Kyoya may be, he would be about as comforting as her left shoe; familiar and appreciated, but likely to leave a blister. She was sure Hunny would be wonderfully comforting at this point and very willing to protect her as she roamed the streets searching for her father. The problem was that as safe as she would be with him, he would make her appear _more_ like a target than if she went by herself. The last thing she wanted was to attract trouble.

Haurhi realised that her only real option for help would be Mori, who was not only formidable, but also looked it. Within minutes she had found Mori's phone number and dialled with shaking fingers.

"This is the Morinozuka residence. May I help you?"

"Satoshi-kun? Ano, Its Haruhi. C-could I speak to Mori-sempai please?"

There was a very familiar sounding grunt on the other end of the line. Haruhi chewed her thumbnail and listened to the footsteps as the younger Morinozuka carried the phone through the house.

"Takashi, your _girlfriend's_ on the phone." Satoshi teased.

"Girlfriend?! What girlfriend? Why was I not aware of this girl? When are you going to introduce her to us?" Haruhi wasn't really listening properly but she did assume that the man talking was Mori's father.

"We are not romantically involved, father. She's a friend from a club at school." With that there were more footsteps and then he finally spoke into the phone. "Hello Haruhi-kun."

"M-mori-sempai?"

"Are you alright?" The concern in his voice was obvious and Haruhi cringed at being so easy to read.

"Yes, I just … my father didn't come home and he should have been here an hour ago and I have a bad feeling but I promised that I wouldn't go out by myself after dark and I'm getting really worried. I didn't know who else to call and – "

"Was he at work before he went missing?"

"Yes."

"What's the address? I'll drive by there on the way to your place."

"Th-thank you Mori-sempai." Haruhi gave him the address and without any more fuss then that he was on his way over.

There was something so soothing about his voice. The moment she heard it, her nerves calmed. Not enough to stop her worrying but at least she wasn't shaking any more. She put the kettle on and convinced herself that in five minutes time Mori and her father would walk through the door and they would all sit around and drink tea while they laughed at her unneeded panic.

As Takashi hit the 'end' button on the phone he looked up at Keiko, the maid, in the corner of the room. She was pretending to dust even as she watched him and edged toward the door, anticipating his request. He sent her off to have a car brought around as he moved to make his excuses to his father.

"My friend has a small emergency. I need to go out. Please excuse me."

"No."

"No?"

"If this girl is important enough that you will run off to help her so easily then I believe I should meet her. I will come with you."

Takashi tried not to gape. His father had never met any of his friends, let alone gone out of his way to do so. Takashi seriously doubted that the man was aware of him associating with anyone other than Mitsukuni and the occasional exceptional sparring partner.

A few minutes later Takshi handed the driver the address that he had written down and folded himself into the back of the limo with his father.

"You should know that Haruhi-kun is a commoner who is attending Ouran by a scholarship. Her father works in an okama bar and has not returned home. I am going to help her find him. You should also know that Haruhi-kun is a female who presents herself as a male at school for the purpose of working in the Host Club. She has her reasons"

"So they are both okama?"

"In a way, yes."

Takashi watched as his father absorbed the information with a simple nod.

Eventually the head of the Morinozuka family calmly turned to his son and pointed to the bar out the window. It was Fujioka Ranka's workplace. Mori instructed the driver to continue on to Haruhi's address at a slower pace.

After a few more minutes of silence Morinozuka could no longer hold his questions in. Takashi had been waiting for it, but he had been hoping to postpone it until after he had helped Haruhi.

"Who is this okama girl to you?"

"A friend. Her name is Haruhi."

"Is that all? _Just_ a friend?"

"Yes. Father, what does that look like to you?"

"A drunken woman lying on the sidewalk. If she is just a friend then why did Satoshi call her your girlfriend?"

Takashi shook his head. That wasn't just a drunk woman. That was a _red-haired_ woman.

"Stop the car."

Haruhi watched the kettle boil for the fourth time. After a full minute of listening to it scream, she took it off the stove, poured out the boiling water and refilled the kettle with cold water to repeat the process.

"Why does waiting have to be this hard?" she muttered to herself.

A few more minutes and another squeal of the kettle had Haruhi ready to rip the door off its hinges and search the streets personally. Promise be damned. She snatched up her jacket and moved toward the door when a figure through the window caught her attention.

There was a tall person sprinting down the street. He turned into the front of her apartment complex. Something about him seemed familiar and a moment later, when his face was illuminated by the glow of window, she realised why. Mori was running to her apartment.

Haruhi threw the door open in a hurry, stepped out on the landing and watched his head appear as he scaled the stairs. His speed was unnerving. Was he being pursued or was it just really urgent? Either way it didn't do anything to settle her shaking limbs.

"Haruhi-kun." he said as he came to a stop in front of her.

"Are you alright? Why were you running?"

"I wanted to make sure you had time to get your things before the taxi arrived. You'll need keys, identification and a jacket."

"W-why? What's happened?"

"Your father is on his way to the hospital. I'm not sure what happened to him. We found him passed out on the sidewalk. The taxi should be here any minute."

Haruhi stood frozen to the spot. Passed out on the sidewalk. Anything could have happened to him. Her father, the only person she had left, could have died while she was sitting around boiling water.

"Haruhi-kun?"

When the initial shock wore off Haruhi realised she was standing in the kitchen while Mori tried to thread her left arm into her jacket. She allowed her arms to go where he put them but she didn't think to dress herself instead of making him do it for her.

The next thing she knew she was sitting in a taxi beside the silent giant as they drove to the hospital.

"M-mori-sempai?"

"Nn?"

"Thank you."

He nodded. It was a simple enough action, one that she'd seen him do countless times before, but the understanding and acceptance that it conveyed floored her. That nod opened the flood gates.

With her tears came a strong arm wrapped around her shoulders and a box of tissues that seemed to have appeared from thin air. Haruhi would later realise that he had swiped the box off her kitchen counter as he led had her out of the apartment.

Author's Note:

This is my first attempt at fanfiction of an Anime/Manga. It is un-betaed and my knowledge is confined to the anime version of Ouran and a few other things that I picked up from reading other's fanfics. Please let me know if you spot a mistake.

Reviews make me happy. And if I'm happy the next chapter will be up all the quicker.


	2. Morinozuka Manor

Author's Note:

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. It's so nice to know that people are enjoying the story. Just for the record - Mori's male family members call him Takashi but the female family members have shortened it to 'Kashi'. I know it doesn't suit him but that's kinda the point. :p His grandmother also refers to Satoshi as 'Toshi'. Chapter Three should be up a couple of days after Christmas. Happy Holidays everyone.

**Chapter Two**

Haruhi sat at her father's beside and watched him sleep. According to the doctors he had suffered a severe case of food poisoning and needed to have his stomach pumped. He should be allowed to be discharged in a few days.

She had never known such relief as she had felt when they had told her it was food poisoning. Haruhi had been envisioning horrible attacks and evil deeds since the moment Mori had said the word hospital.

"Hello young miss."

She looked up to find a man standing just inside the room. By the look of him, he was too tall to have comfortably stood in the actual doorway. Something in the man's eyes reminded her of Satoshi and she realised that this must be Mori's father. Haruhi stood to address him properly.

"Good evening Morinozuka-san."

"So you are the okama girl that has my son running out of the house at all hours?"

She blanched a bit at being called an 'okama girl', but then it wasn't an inaccurate term.

"I'm sorry, sir. It's just that Mori-sempai seemed like the most sensible choice. He's practical, and, kind and … well, he just seemed to be the best person to turn to. I really am sorry to have disrupted your night."

"That's quite alright, my dear. It's rather interesting to see my son take an interest in something other than kendo or that nephew of mine." he told her with a kind smile as he settled into the spare chair. Haruhi sat as he did. "Takashi tells me that your mother is deceased. I take it that you have no other family that you live with or they would have been the one you called?"

"Mm, It's just my father and me."

"Then until he is recovered you will stay with my family."

Haruhi gaped at the man. He seemed kind enough but had he just ordered her to move into his family home?

"Ano … ah…"

"It is not safe for young girls to live alone. I am simply saying that you ought to stay in one of our guest rooms until your father is able to return to you. I assure you, you will be given all the privacy and respect you require. My wife and mother live with there, as well as several female staff. You will be completely safe."

"Thankyou but—"

"It's settled then. I'll wait in the hall with Takashi while you say your goodbyes."

And with that the head of the Morinozuka household left the room. Haruhi was stunned. It was obvious that he wouldn't take no for an answer but what would Mori think of this? Tamaki and the twins would be unbearable if they found out that she was living with the Morinozukas. They'd probably insist that she move in with them instead.

"Please get better soon. As quickly as possible." she requested of her father before kissing him goodbye.

..o0o..

Takaski watched his father emerge from Fujioka's room and wondered at what had gone on inside. He'd been hoping to be present when his father met Haruhi. Apparently his father had hoped otherwise, which would explain why Takashi had been sent to check the visiting hours for the following week.

"Father?"

"I have invited your okama girl to stay with us until her father is recovered. We will pick up her belongings on the way home." Morinozuka gave a decisive nod and started off down the hall, talking over his shoulder. "I'll have the limo brought around. Bring her out when she's ready."

This could be interesting. Tamaki certainly wasn't going to be happy about Haruhi's new living arrangements. Chances were Haruhi wouldn't be too happy about it either. If there was one thing his father was good at it was making decisions without considering the feelings of others. His heart was always in the right place but good intentions didn't always lead to good ideas.

"I'm ready to go now." Takashi looked up to find a timid looking Haruhi in front of him. "Apparently I'm staying at your place until my father recovers."

"I can talk to my father if there is someone else you'd rather stay with."

"H-he said that it wasn't safe for me to live by myself and I don't have any relatives left. But if it is possible to convince him to let me stay at my own home, I would appreciate it."

"So there is no one else that you can stay with?"

"Well, no, but I'm perfectly fine with staying alone. I've done it before. It's really not a big deal"

"If you have no one else, then you will stay with us."

He had no doubt that she could survive perfectly well on her own but that didn't mean it was the best option for her. Besides which, there was just no way to argue a point against his father without a superior option to present.

By the look on Haruhi's face he could tell he hadn't explained himself well, but there was little he could do to correct the situation. Words were not his strong point. Takashi settled for leading her down the hall and out to the waiting car.

..o0o..

Haruhi woke to find herself being carried through a dark, unfamiliar corridor. Rationally she knew she ought to panic but something told her not to start struggling just yet. Within moments she remembered falling asleep in the car after picking up a few of her belongings. She looked up at the person carrying her to find the shadowy, familiar face of Mori.

"Are you sure she's just a friend?" asked a female voice from somewhere in front of her.

"Nn." was Mori's grunt of reply.

"You carry her very delicately for someone who's just a friend."

"I've never been friends with a female before. Should I be carrying her differently?"

"No. No, what you're doing is just fine, Takashi. Bring her in."

A moment later a bright light flooded Haruhi's sight and she instinctively buried her face to stop the pain behind her eyes.

"Oh, we woke her up! I'm so sorry dear."

Haruhi slowly removed her face from Mori's chest and look in the direction of the voice. She was a small woman with kind eyes.

"W-where am I?"

"You're in the Morinozuka Estate. I'm Morinozuka Kaida but you can call me Kai."

"I didn't realise Mori-sempai had a sister." It was just an attempt at small talk as she tried to get out of Mori's arms without falling several feet to the ground, but it was obvious from the chuckles coming from Kai that Haruhi had made a mistake. Mori placed her gently on the ground and Haruhi noticed he was smirking too.

"She's my mother."

Haruhi blinked out the last of the bright light and looked at the little woman again. She was older than her voice suggested but it still seemed hard to believe that this little woman could have birthed the likes of Takashi Morinozuka.

"Really?"

"I can see you're surprised by my size but please remember that my boys were much smaller when they were born than they are now."

Haruhi joined her in giggling at that.

"I can't imagine Mori-sempai as a baby. He's just too big."

"I have photos if you'd like to see them."

"Mother! You need to sleep Haruhi-kun, we have school tomorrow." Mori announced with glowing cheeks.

Haruhi nodded and watched her friend drag his mother out of the room. It was so odd to see him embarrassed and really rather endearing. Haruhi looked around the room. Half of her apartment could have fit into this room alone.

Her bag was sitting on a chair where Kai must have placed it. For a moment Haruhi wondered at why they didn't have a maid carry her bag but she didn't think too hard on the matter. She pulled out her school uniform and hung it out for the morning then grabbed up her pyjamas and looked around for somewhere to stow her bag.

There were three doors in the room, each one identical. The first was the door that Mori and his mother had exited by so Haruhi decided to try the second one. She opened it up and fumbled for the light switch to find a large, expensive style bathroom. In the middle of the room was a huge sunken bathtub that looked rather like a small swimming pool. She went over to the sink and brushed her teeth but felt rather like she was invading someone else's space as she did so.

The third door opened into a large walk in wardrobe that was around the same size as the bathroom in her apartment. Haruhi dropped her bag on the floor in the corner and snapped the door closed.

Usually at this point she would be muttering about rich bastards but there was something about the manner of the Morinozukas that just didn't seem to fit that description. Maybe it was the fact that Kai had carried her bag in instead of sending for a maid, or the fact that Satoshi had answered the phone himself earlier tonight. Whatever it was, it seemed as though this wasn't so much a 'rich family' as it was a family that just happened to be rich.

..o0o..

Takashi wandered through the house rubbing his left eye. He'd slept less than usual thanks to last night's rescue mission and had found it more than a little difficult to get out of bed this morning. His mother smiled at him as he walked into the dining room and he pulled his hand away from his face. He rather hated it when she reminded him of how similar he was to Misukuni when he was a child and rubbing at his eyes was sure to start her up on the subject.

"Good morning mother."

"Good morning Kashi. You're up late. Satoshi and your father left for practice over an hour ago."

"Nn." Takasi moved to sit in his usual chair and found it already occupied. With a slight smirk he moved to the next chair sure that Satoshi wouldn't mind him stealing his spot for today. "Good Morning Haurhi."

"Good morning Mori-sempai."

Takashi began choosing his breakfast from the heated dishes in the centre of the table as she watched him. He looked up to notice his mother was staring at him as well. It was rather unnerving to have so much attention focused on him.

"Are you not going to practice at all this morning then?" his mother asked.

"Nn. I was up late last night and I have a test this afternoon. I thought sleep was a little more important for today."

"I'm sorry Sempai. I should have thought before I called." Haruhi looked down at her plate in a rejected sort of manner.

"It's fine. Your father is more important than one morning's training."

He got a smile out of her for that and an odd feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Takashi shovelled food into his mouth, trying to dispel the odd feeling. He heard an unusual noise from across the table and without looking up he knew his mother was trying not to laugh at him.

"Bah, there's a grandson at the table."

Takashi looked up at his grandmother standing in the doorway and smiled. He hadn't had breakfast with her since he was a little boy. He stood and held out her chair for her.

"Thank you Kashi. I don't think I've seen you at breakfast for at least twelve years. Are you ill?"

"No, Grandmother. I had to go out last night and I wouldn't have had enough sleep if I'd woken for training. It's just for today."

"Hmm, you ought to skip it more often. I like seeing your face in the mornings." She pulled him down by the arm and kissed his cheek before letting him go back to his seat. "And just who is your friend? I thought Toshi said you were bringing a girl home?"

"This is Haurhi-kun. She is a girl but she dresses as a boy for school. Haruhi-kun, this is my grandmother Morinozuka Umeko-san."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Morinozuka-san."

"Bah, I'm not Morinozuka. You'll call me Umeko."

Takashi suppressed laugh at his grandmother's antics. She had told him once that she was too old to be bothered being polite any longer and would now do as she pleased. It embarrassed his father horribly but Takashi admired her all the more for it. Life was never dull when his grandmother was in the room.

"Then it is a pleasure to meet you Umeko-sama." Haruhi corrected herself and his grandmother nodded.

"I like this one; she does what she's told and still gets away with being an okama. Do we get to keep her?"

"No Umeko. She's just here for a couple of days until her father gets out of the hospital." his mother explained as Haruhi went pink. Takahi sent his grandmother a look, silently asking her not to make Haruhi more uncomfortable than she already was. She nodded back at him and sipped at her tea.

The rest of breakfast passed in companionable silence until his mother sent them off with a warning that they would be late for school if they sat around for much longer. Thankfully she waited until Haruhi had left the room before insisting on giving him a 'good luck' kiss for this afternoon's exam.


	3. Problems

**Chapter Three**

The ride to school was spent in companionable silence and Haruhi used the time to go over her afternoon schedule. She wondered if it was possible for her to get out of her Host club duties without explaining why.

"You are frowning." Mori pointed out to her.

"I'm just trying to figure out how to leave the club early to visit my father without letting them know where I'm going."

"You don't wish them to know about Fujioka-san?"

"I wouldn't mind but I'm sure Kyoya-sempai will try to have him transferred to one of the Ootari hospitals and then add the cost to my debt. My father's insurance will cover him at the hospital he's in and it's not serious so there's really no need to move him around."

"He does that too often."

"Huh?"

"Kyoya-san. You should have more control over your debt."

Haruhi nodded as her frown deepened. He was completely right but there was just no way to pin Kyoya down on a definite figure. Besides, it kept changing.

"You don't think you can?"

"I've tried. But Kyoya-sempai's not so willing to cooperate. He keeps adding to it anyway. It's seems pointless really. I'll never work it all off before I graduate."

"He's trying to make you permanently indebted."

Haruhi's head shot up to look at Mori. Had he really just said that?

"Why would he want that?"

"So you will be more inclined to marry him. Kyoya thinks in terms of money. He is trying to buy you with your own debt."

"I'm not an item in a shop!"

"That is why I'm warning you to get your debt in writing."

The limo slipped back into silence as Haruhi thought it over. She'd been trying for months now to get a definite figure out of Kyoya. She'd even tried asking for an estimate but he always seemed to dodge the issue. She was in completely over her head with this. And if what Mori said was true, and Tamaki found out about it, she'd likely have him claiming that she owed the Souh family for the cost of her tuition as well.

"So if you're not telling anyone about her father how are you going to explain her staying with us?" Satoshi asked. Haruhi nearly jumped out of her skin. She had completely forgotten that the younger Morinozuka was in the car with them.

"We just won't tell them." came Mori's calm reply.

"She's getting a ride to school with you. I think they'll notice that."

"Simple," answered Haruhi, "I'll just get out when we drop you at the entrance to the middle school and walk from there."

..o0o..

As Takashi climbed out of the limo and walked over to Mitsukuni, he thought over Haruhi's choice to exit the car early. It made perfect sense, strategically, but for some reason it left him feeling uneasy. After she had left he realised that they could have just as easily claimed that he had driven past her on the way to school and offered her a lift. Unfortunately he thought of it too late.

"Takashi?" Mistsukuni was looking up at him with a concerned face.

"Nn?"

"Are you alright? You look sad."

"I'm fine." he assured his cousin. Mitsukuni wrapped his arms around his leg and gave him a hug. Several girls squealed with delight. Takashi just ignored them, lifted Mitsukuni up onto his shoulders and continued into the school.

The problem was that he wasn't fine. Something about Haruhi's decision to hide last night's events was disturbing him. Even more so since Mitsukuni told him he looked sad. Most people were completely unable to read any of Takashi's facial expressions unless he made an effort to express himself. But his cousin was always exactly right in reading him and it was worrying that he saw sadness. Upset or worried he could have understood, but why would Haruhi be able to make him sad?

Takashi shook his head trying to clear his mind and narrowly missed knocking his head against blonde on his shoulders. The rest of the day continued in the same fashion, with Takashi completely unaware of his clumsiness: Misukuni's sharp reflexes the only thing saving him each time.

By the time the Host Club opened their doors Mitsukuni was horribly grumpy and it was obvious that only extra cakes could make up for his foul mood. Takashi arranged a platter of chocolate and strawberry cakes and placed them down in front of his cousin.

"Mmm, thank you Takashi."

"Nn."

Squeals of 'Kawaii' were released into the air and Takashi had to stop himself from cringing. Some days it was such hard work to put up with these girls and not show his dislike of the whole situation. But this was where Mitsukuni felt free to be himself, so he would do it and not complain.

"Oh, look at Haruhi-kun. He looks so tired and sad. Do you think something happened?"

He tried to ignore the gossiping pair of 'princesses' behind him. But Haruhi still hadn't made a move to ask Kyoya to excuse her from her duties for the afternoon. If she waited much longer visiting hours would be over and she'd miss her chance altogether.

He looked over at his cousin and found a deliberate smear of cream on the blonde boy's cheek. Takashi recognised it as a sign that he wasn't paying enough attention and wiped it off with care. The gossiping girls left their observations of Haruhi in preference to sighing at the actions of their 'sempais'.

"Aunt!" Mitsukuni squealed and jumped off the couch to scramble across the room. Takashi followed him with his eyes until his eyes fell on his mother. Takashi stood.

"Mother. Is everything alright?" He took in the sight of his brother standing awkwardly just inside the door and knew that he had led their mother to the third music room. Their mother shook her head and held her hand out to Haruhi, keeping eye contact with only her.

"Haruhi-san, you need to come with me."

"I-is my father..?"

"He's developed an infection but they can't treat him until you sign the paperwork. Come along."

Haruhi hastily put down the teapot she was holding, spilling a fair bit of the contents and not noticing. As Takashi watched his mother take her hand, Kyoya was forming a plan. No one noticed him flip his phone open until his voice was heard muttering through the hushed room.

"Who are you calling?" Tamaki asked, obviously worrying about his 'dear daughter'. Kyoya ignored him, looking at Kaida instead.

"Where is he? I'll have him transferred to one of the Ootari hospitals and make sure he receives the best care available."

Panic shone in Haruhi's eyes at that comment. She shouldn't have to choose between her father and her future.

"Haruhi, will your father's insurance cover the new cost?"

She nodded and looked up at him. She looked so lost.

"Go see your father. I'll deal with Kyoya-san."

"Thank you."

"What's going on?" his mother asked, confused at their reaction to the offer of help.

"I'll explain later. Please take Haurhi-kun to Fujioka-san."

"A-alright, Kashi. We'll see you at home. Come along Haruhi-san."

Once they were out of the room Takashi walked up to Kyoya and took the phone out of his hand, hanging up on whoever had been on the line.

"The host club is closing early today. We apologise for the inconvenience." The other club members looked completely lost but they understood the words and helped him heard the 'princesses' out of the music room.

Within moments of the last guest leaving he was bombarded by questions from Tamaki and the Hitachiins. Takashi ignored them all and chose to answer Mitsukuni's question about what had happened to Haruhi.

He explained the events of last night from the beginning and ignoring all the interruptions the other hosts threw at him. By the end of it each of them were upset that they hadn't been the one called on for help and Tamaki and the Hitachiins were both angry that Haruhi was staying at the Morinozuka estate.

"Why in Kami's name would she call you? Doesn't she know that her daddy will look after her?" Tamaki wailed.

"She called me because she wanted to have someone with her who could protect her if she needed to roam the streets looking for her father. She had a choice between me and Mitsukuni, and she knew that I was the scarier looking option and more likely to ward off any attackers before they became a problem."

"But why would she choose to stay with you? Haruhi is delicate, she can't stay in the home of a warrior family." announced one of the twins while his brother nodded.

"There are two older females in my family home who can look after her. The rest of you only have mothers at home and Tamaki has _no one_ there to safeguard her reputation. It was a sensible option."

"Kyoya's sister could come to stay. He'd have two females then." Tamaki pouted. It was a pointless argument made purely because the 'prince' was feeling the need to sulk.

"She's not going to do anything that Kyoya-kun could be tempted to charge her for. She has enough to deal with without having to worry about her debt as well. That's why she didn't want her father to be transferred; she knows he would have had it charged to her debt along with countless other things that she had no control or choice in." Takashi sighed. He'd had more than enough of the host club for today. "I'm going home."

"I'll come with you!" Mitsukuni announced. Usually this would be a perfectly normal thing for his cousin to do but today every other member of the host club echoed him. Takashi scowled.

..o0o..

Haurhi trudged through the entryway of the Morinozuka home. She'd signed all of the paperwork and gotten an overview from one of her father's doctors. Apparently the infection had been caused by the tube that had been threaded down his throat during the stomach pumping. It was a fairly minor infection and would probably only take a week or so to fully recover from. Still, it was a week longer than she had expected to be without her father and she still hadn't had a chance to talk to him. The doctors had put him into a drugged sleep until the antibiotics started to take effect.

Kai had told her she was more than welcome to stay with the family for as long as she needed. The problem was that she felt like she was stepping on Mori's toes. He was such a quiet, reserved person and it was obvious that he was different at home. At home he got kissed by his grandmother at the breakfast table and answered to 'Kashi'. This place seemed to be his sanctuary and she hated having to invade it.

Haruhi yawned and started up the stairs to put her things away. She switched her school bag to her right hand so her left could hold the banister and help pull her up the stairs. The moment her fingers landed on the banister a cry rang out through the large house.

"Haruhiiii-kuuuuuun!"

She froze and a moment later a blur came rushing at her. as it collided with her Haruhi felt herself fall off the bottom step and land heavily on the tiled ground. Hikaru, Kaoru and Tamaki smiled down at her with concerned faces. She looked beyond them to see Kyoya and Hunny standing a few steps up looking down at her with the same concern.

"I guess Mori-sempai told you about my father?" she asked as she untangled herself from the clinging 'friends' and tried not to wince at her newly bruised back.

"What is going on here!?"

Everyone turned to see Morinozuka-san standing a few feet away with Mori just behind him. Haruhi knew that Mori had gone to fetch the one person who had a chance of getting rid of the host club with minimum whinging and sent him a small thankful smile for it. Mori nodded and then turned his attention back to his father.

"Good evening, Uncle." Hunny said, stepping forward to talk for the group. "We wanted to be here when Haru-chan got home. She's had a bad day."

"Of course she's had a bad day. She was up 'til all hours last night, worried out of her mind, and she had to deal with more of the same today. She's probably completely exhausted and upset. Now out of the house, all of you. The girl needs rest!"

"B-but Uncle…" Hunny's eyes swam with unshed tears but his uncle didn't bat an eyelid.

"Out!"

Even Haruhi flinched at that. Morinozuka was a very formidable man and his temper was rather daunting. He achieved his purpose easily and Haruhi watched in awe as the host club silent crept out of the house.

"T-thank you Morinozuka-san." Haruhi attempted to smile at him and his whole demeanour changed. His eyes, that had moments before been filled with fury, were kind and soft as he looked down at her.

"Nn. Go wash up. Dinner will be in half an hour but if you would prefer to eat in your room, just let us know."

"Thank you. I'll be down in time."

With that she climbed the stairs, her mind entirely focused on the swimming pool-like tub in her room. If anything was going to ease the ache in her back, it would be that giant bathtub. Maybe staying here wouldn't be too bad after all.


	4. Revelations

**Author's note: **Thankyou to all the lovely people who went to the trouble to review. Special thankyous to **loretta537** for suggesting self defense lessons, they'll be in the next chapter, and to **wolfcrossbreed** for correcting me on the use of 'okama'. blushes at own lack of research

**Chapter Four**

Takashi sat at the family dinner table and watched his guest slowly work her way through the food on her plate. She was obviously hungry but more than that, she was tired. The family were all aware of it and conducted their dinner conversation in muted voices. Except for his father.

"So, Fujioka-san, how is your father?"

"Ano, please call me Haruhi. My father developed an infection. It's not too serious and they've started treating it but he'll be in there for at least a week."

"Don't look so apologetic child. Sad, I can understand, but you've nothing to apologise for. You're welcome to stay for a year if you need to."

Takashi gaped at his father. It was nice that he was being so accommodating but it was a rather awkward comment. It seemed almost as if he was setting the ground work to add Haruhi into the family.

Takashi sent a quick look at his little brother and noted the worry in his eyes. Their father couldn't be trying to win Haruhi for Takashi, so he must be aiming to match her with Satoshi. It was more than a little awkward to think that he may have chosen someone who was older for Satoshi. But then, maybe they were reading too much into it. Their mother may have simply told him to be nice to his guest. Father always did end up awkward when he was trying to be considerate.

"Of course she's welcome. It's nice to have a young girl in the house again. Reminds me of when Kai started calling when you were younger, my boy." Grandmother announced, patting her son's cheek as she did so.

"What about Mina-chan, Grandmother? She's always dropping around to flirt with Takashi." Satoshi pointed out, determined to make Haruhi feel left out by the sound of it.

"Toshi, it's rude to mention people that our guest hasn't met yet." His mother reminded him before turning to Haruhi. "Murakami Minako-san is Takashi's betrothed. I'm sure you'll meet while you're here. She's a lovely girl."

"They're not really betrothed. It's just expected that they'll get engaged once they reach a certain age. She's the national female champion for Kendo."

Takashi cringed as his mother and brother filled Haruhi in on the details of his 'fiancé'. She had never really spoken of her opinions on arranged marriages but he was sure that, after being raised a commoner, she wouldn't consider it a necessary step for anyone to take.

Truthfully, Takashi had never considered it a preferable option but he had no reason to consider Mina a disagreeable person. If she didn't have moments of acting like the 'princesses' from the host club, he might actually be able to consider her a friend. She was certainly a challenging opponent.

Takashi shook the thoughts from his head and went back to paying attention to the dinner conversation. Haruhi was trying to stifle a yawn but she was obviously interested in what his father was saying.

"It will be the first arranged marriage in the entire Morinozuka line if it goes ahead. Can't say I'm too pleased about that, but at least I made sure there wasn't an actual contract. If either of them find a better option before they come of age then they can get out of it."

"But I was told that your family worked for the Hunny-sempai's family until they married into one another. Wasn't that from an arranged marriage?"

"Bah. That wasn't arrangement, it was defying convention." Grandmother announced, putting down her utensils and settling in to tell her favourite story. "My mother was the daughter of the great Huninozuka, and my father was her guardian; her servant. They fell madly in love with each other, but they weren't allowed to marry because his status was so far beneath her. So they eloped. My mother was a truly loved woman and her family didn't want to lose her. Nor did they want to offend their most faithful guardians. There were five Morinozukas in service to the family at the time. So they accepted the marriage and worked to have society do so as well. When I grew up, I found a husband who was able to help my father set up a family-run dojo and eventually the Morinozukas became as wealthy as the Huninozukas. And now, with my son's genius, our wealth has surpassed that of even my mother's family."

"How lovely that it worked out for them." Haruhi smiled kindly and went back to eating her dinner. Satoshi stifled a laugh at how little the story had affected her. Most people in their social circle were mortified at the idea of a prestigious young lady marrying her servant. Though most of them tried to stifle their reactions when they found out just how wealthy the family had become.

"It didn't work out _that_ well. We were far from wealthy in my childhood. It was only after I married and we entered the dojo business seperately from the Huninozukas that things started to pick up."

"Nn. Grandmother's point is that they broke all of the rules." Satoshi pointed out.

"Yes, they do sound like the kind of people who could have raised such a wonderfully irreverent woman as Umeko-sama." She grinned to show that it wasn't an insult and Grandmother grinned back, enjoying the unusual compliment.

The odd feeling that had settled in his stomach at breakfast returned and Takashi scowled a little. Perhaps he was coming down with something. Food seemed to fix it this morning so he applied himself to finishing his meal, focusing on it so much that he didn't notice the rest of the evening's dinner conversation.

..o0o..

Haruhi woke feeling much better than she had the day before. The difference a decent night's sleep made was amazing. And better than that was the knowledge that her father was supposed to be awake during visiting hours this afternoon.

As she threw back the covers and attempted to get out of bed the muscles in her back seized up momentarily, sending shooting pains in all directions.

"Idiots!" she muttered as she realised that the back pain from last night's glomp attack was going to take more than just a hot bath to fix. It wasn't going to stop her from going about her day though.

Haruhi added a few stretches to her morning routine until her back muscles loosened up enough to attempt the stairs and then she was set for the day. She breakfasted with Kai and Umeko while the males of the family were training. She'd been worried that she'd have to leave without them, but just as she was getting into the limo the boys appeared at side of the house, freshly bathed and ready for the day ahead of them. Haruhi smiled a greeting at them and slid to the far side of the limo to make room for them.

"You look happier today." Satoshi pointed out as he buckled up.

"I had a decent night's sleep and I should be able to talk to my dad today."

She couldn't quite wipe the small smile off her face and Satoshi was acting like it was contagious. Mori didn't seem to be all that aware of her; he was too busy searching through his school bag.

"Did you forget something Mori-sempai? Should I ask the driver to go back?"

"No, I'll find it." he replied. A moment later he pulled a snack bar out of his bag with something like triumph on his face, and ate as fast as his manners would allow. Haruhi had a feeling that if she hadn't been there he would have shoved the whole thing in his mouth at once.

"What is wrong with you? Have you forgotten how to eat?" Satoshi asked with disgust. Haruhi wondered at that. She had just assumed that this was how Mori ate when he was at home. She'd noticed him eating his dinner in the same fashion last night.

"Been hungrier lately." Mori murmured, tucking the snack bar wrapper neatly into a side pocket of his bag.

"It's gross."

"Nn."

A few minutes later they pulled up outside the middle school entrance and Satoshi got out. Haruhi wished him a good day and he responded with the advice that she should avert her eyes if his brother started to eat or risk losing her good mood. She just laughed and waved goodbye.

As they were waiting to pull up at the entrance to the high school Haruhi noticed some crumbs on Mori's cheek and without even thinking, she reached over to brush the crumbs off with the back of her fingers. Stupidly, though, she forgot to warn him before she reached over. The moment she came in contact with his skin her hand was caught in his calloused grip and his eyes locked on her face.

"What are you doing?"

"T-there are crumbs on your face."

"Oh." He released her hand slowly with a shy look on his face. She realised that her hand was still against his face so she went ahead and took care of the crumbs.

There was something almost disturbingly intimate about touching his face now that they were both so aware of what she was doing. His skin was unnaturally soft for a teenager. Generally it didn't matter how much money you had, if you were young then you were bound to get some sort of pimples, even if they weren't all that visible. But Mori's skin was perfect; soft and even with just the tiniest scratch of stubble. It was probably from all that exercising. Her father always told her that regular exercise was good for the pores.

She pulled her hand back worried that she might have left it there a little too long. He nodded a small thank you and looked out the window. His expression was just as unreadable as usual, but something about the awkward way he held himself told her he was aware that something had passed between them.

She wanted to say something to him. Acknowledge it in some way. But just as she opened her mouth, the limo stopped and Mori got out.

..o0o..

Takashi decided today's host club was a bore. Haruhi was excused from club duties to visit her father and the other club members were all mad at him after being kicked out of his house the night before. Even Mitsukuni was in a mood. He had tried to pick his cousin up and had been told, quite forcefully, that he 'didn't need help to walk across a room'.

Their usual designations were confused to find their favourite blonde deliberately sitting on a different couch to his silent shadow. Most had congregated around Mitsukuni to ask what was wrong and were regaled with a heartbreaking tale of betrayal in which Takashi's father was the villain who had banished his son's closest friend. The climax of his story being that Takashi hadn't fought to have Mitsukuni stay, causing his tiny (and overly dramatic) heart to break.

Takashi ignored it all. It was actually rather peaceful, not having to put up with the silly 'princesses'. He used the quiet to think over the morning's events yet again. What had happened in the limo was … disturbing.

It should have been a simple thing. He brushed crumbs of Mitsukuni's face all the time and it had never resulted in acrobatic butterflies attacking his stomach. Maybe it was because he wasn't the one in charge but he doubted it. The moment he had felt her hand the odd feeling in his stomach had returned only this time he knew what caused it.

The more he thought about it the more he realised that each time he had experienced the odd feeling, he had been looking at a smiling Haruhi. Apparently touch made the sensation much stronger. Of course at this point it was only a theory. What he needed was for her to touch him again so he could compare the experiences.

Or maybe that was just an excuse. Maybe he just wanted to come in contact with her again. Any kind of contact, he wasn't fussy. And that's when he realised it: It wasn't just her smiles, or her touch. It was her. That odd feeling that wasn't pleasant, but was still craved; it was his body trying to tell him something.

He was falling for Haruhi.


	5. A New Kind of Student

**Author's Note: **There are a couple of terms in this chapter that might need explaining.

1. Obi - belt.

2. Dojocho - This the Headmaster of a dojo and refers to Mori and Satoshi's father.

3. Keikogi - 'Keiko' means practice, 'gi' means outfit or clothing. A lot of dojos will replace the word 'keiko' with the style of martial arts that they practice so in future chapters you see the word 'kendogi' (it means the same thing).

4. Dojo - A place where martial arts is taught/practiced.

5. Tatami - traditional mats/ flooring used in dojos.

Also an interesting little fact about names. In this chapter you will see Umeko-sama refer to her son as 'Ryou'. The name Ryou means dragon and Kaida (his wife) means little dragon. I thought they were appropriate names for the parents of our beloved Takashi.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. You make the effort worth it. :) Enjoy.

**Chapter Five**

Haruhi sat at the breakfast table and contemplated what to do about Mori. She felt like she needed to talk to him about what happened in the limo yesterday. While it had been wonderful to visit and actually speak with her father but it had also meant that she didn't get a chance to speak with Mori again until dinner. Confused about things as Haruhi was, she wasn't about to start discussing a non-eventful-but-possibly-romantic moment in front of Mori's parents.

She'd been over it countless times in her head. Something had definitely sparked between them. The question was, why didn't Mori acknowledge it? Why had he ignored it and walked away?

Whatever the answer, Haruhi had expected to get some sort of reading on the situation over breakfast. Surely he would eat with the family on a Sunday. But here she was, sitting at the table, almost finished her own breakfast and he still hadn't arrived at the table. Somehow he really didn't seem the sort to sleep in. Maybe she ought to ask.

"Haruhi-san!"

Haruhi jumped a little and turned to the doorway where a slightly flustered looking Morinozuka was standing.

"Yes, Morinozuka-san?"

"You're finished your breakfast aren't you?"

"Well, yes I suppose so."

"Good, come with me. You have a job to do this morning."

Haruhi jumped to her feet, picking up her plate as she did so. A moment later she realised that she was supposed to leave her plate on the table for the maids to collect so she put it back down. As she tried to get out from between her chair and the table she managed to trip herself somehow.

"For goodness sake Ryou, you needn't yell at her. You've made her all flustered. Don't you worry Haruhi-kun, he's not as mean as he sounds. If he gets too scary, just give him a hug; he'll melt like snow in a frying pan." Umeko winked at her and nodded for her to follow the head of the Morinozuka household. It was amazing a how one silly joke from Umeko could settle her nerves so easily.

Haruhi followed him out into the hall and through a maze of corridors that she hadn't had the courage to explore. She really only knew how to find the front door, her room, and the dining room. Eventually they came to a solid wooden door that led them out into a beautiful traditional garden.

The garden was walled off and obviously smaller than the width of the house. Something in Haruhi made her curious to find access to the rest of it, and explore their land beyond the walled garden. Instead she followed Morinozuka to a small building that looked like a guard house attached to the far wall.

Once they were inside Morinozuka slipped off his shoes and nodded for Haruhi to do the same. Her sneakers joined three other pairs of shoes that were all neatly lined up by the wall and she stepped up onto tatami mats.

"Come along." Morinozuka disappeared down a hall that ran along what Haruhi assumed to be the outside of the garden wall. She hurried to catch up to him.

They stopped about half way down the hall and Haruhi watched as something white was taken out of a linen cupboard and shoved into her hands. A moment later a rolled up white cloth obi¹ was placed on top and Morinozuka nodded for to pass through a door marked 'Ladies Changing Room'.

Haruhi had simply assumed that the job she was here to do had something to do with cleaning, and the outfit was for protecting her clothing from bleach or something like it. Instead she found herself putting on one of those the pyjama-like outfits used for martial arts practice. She had absolutely no idea how to do up the obi properly which meant that the top jacket thingy wouldn't stay closed. Thankfully there was a white sleeveless top included that, while rather snug, kept Haruhi's modesty in tact.

When she stepped out into the hall she found it empty so she went in search of Morinozuka. There were three doors, evenly spaced, further along the hall. She tried practice room three, but it was empty. She tried practice room two and found several females from about six years old to late teens all wearing the same outfit as Haruhi's.

"If you're looking for the Dojocho², he's in practice room one." muttered a young girl, without once taking her eyes off the sparing match in the middle of the room.

"Thank you."

..o0o..

Takashi noticed his father enter the room and ended his sparring match with a simple yet perfectly executed strike to Satoshi's chest.

"Father." they intoned together as they bowed.

"Ah, my sons, I have a task for you today."

"A task?" Satoshi asked with curiosity. Usually Father's tasks were unusual little ways of learning a technique in a round about way. Takashi generally found them enlightening and decently challenging. The only word he had ever heard Satoshi use for them was devious.

"Today, you will teach a complete amateur the basics of defence. Focus on sidestepping and blocking. No weapons. Mina-san will be by at the end of her class to help you."

"Who will we be training?"

As if on cue the door opened and Haruhi's head popped in, nervousness written all over her face.

"Ano, Morinozuka-san, I wasn't sure where I was supposed to be?"

"You're in the right place. Come in."

Haruhi walked into the room and Takashi tried to hide his worry at seeing her in a keikogi³. How on Earth was he going to be able to get through this? He couldn't deal with being in the same limo as her yesterday, and today he would have to deliberately focus on her body.

Hell, he was going to have to advise her on how to stand and move. Usually when he taught someone these things he would stand behind them and use his hands to put them into position. Just the idea of doing such a thing to Haruhi had his heart beating faster. He was never going to be able to hide her effect on him.

"Now, you just listen to Takashi. He has experience teaching amateur classes and always gets impressive results."

"I-I'm to learn Kendo?"

"Didn't I explain this to you?"

"No, you just said you had a job for me to do."

"Well, yes. Your job is to learn how to defend yourself from those buffoons who attacked you on the stairs. I do not like seeing women so mistreated. Especially when avoidance is so easy once you know how."

"Really? You want me to use Kendo on the Host Club? I don't think beating them with a big stick will help."

"It's called a bokuto and I only intend for you to learn basic self defence. No weapons. Of course if you take a liking to it, you will be more than welcome to sign up for regular classes. But for today Takashi will instruct you, and Satoshi will spar with you. Don't worry; I'm leaving you in good hands." With that father started toward the door, speaking over his shoulder as he went. "Takashi, fix her obi before you start."

_And so it begins_, he thought as he went up to his new student and undid her obi. As he sorted out the folds of her top he made the mistake of looking at her and found her big brown eyes focused on his arms as he worked. It felt so odd to be this close, to be dressing her.

"Hold that." he instructed once he got the top in order.

She placed her hands where indicated and breathed against his neck as he wrapped the obi around her middle and knotted it over her stomach. He gave one last tug to make sure that the knot was secure and her body jolted toward him slightly. _It would be so easy to kiss her right now._

Takashi spun on his heel and walked to the other side of the room.

"Alright, Satoshi, Haruhi-kun, enter the sparring mat."

Haruhi walked timidly to where he indicated but Satoshi stayed rooted to the spot.

"Ano, Nii-san, can I talk to you?"

Takashi nodded and his brother strode up to him with a determined face.

"What is it?"

"You heard Father at dinner the other night. He's trying to get her into the family. He's trying to set her up with _me_. I mean no disrespect to Haruhi-kun but she is older than me and smarter too. I can't be coupled with her. Please don't make me spar with her. Father will liken it to a bond. This is what he did when Mina was chosen for you!"

Takashi scowled. He could see Satoshi's problem but Takashi was worried about his own bond with Haruhi as well.

"Do I even need to be here, Takashi? You could teach her just as well, if not better as her sparring partner. Really, Father, should just have left the job to you."

"I judge what needs to be worked on by watching reactions from an outside point of view. I can't see the way she moves if I'm too close."

"Well, teach Haruhi-kun the moves then watch her spar with Mina when her class ends. I don't need to be here, Takashi." With that Satoshi made the choice for him by walking out of the room with a short excuse to Haruhi as he walked past.

"Ah."

"Just the two of us then?" Haruhi asked as the door snapped closed.

"Nn."

"Right. So what do I do first?"

"Ah, we need to work on your stance first."

"Meaning?"

"I teach you how to stand so you can move in any direction that is required."

"Alright."

Takashi took a deep breath and began to study the way Haruhi held herself.

"Square your shoulders and make sure your feet are facing directly forward."

Haruhi nodded and adjusted herself. He noticed her left leg was still not quite aligned. It wasn't unusual for a new student to have a hip out of alignment, which would alter their control over the connected leg. I was generally just a by product of favouring a certain leg during their developmental years and easy enough to train them out of.

"You're favouring your left leg," Takashi walked up behind her and held her right hip in place as he re-directed her left leg. "Turn it a little more."

Haruhi did as she was told and turned her head to look up at him over her shoulder.

"Is that right?"

"Nn."

Why was he so damnably aware of her breathing? She was looking at him in a way that turned his insides to liquid. He felt himself drifting downward toward her mouth. He didn't know if it was his imagination or reality that had him thinking that her breathing was getting heavier.

He could feel her breath mixing with his own as he drifted even closer but it wasn't until her eyes fluttered closed that he realised what was happening. He was about to kiss Haruhi. In his father's dojo.

Takashi took a hasty step away from her and she swayed at the sudden loss of his support. He could still feel the warmth of her against his palms. He wanted to go back to her. Instead he took three more steps away and tried to control his breathing.

"So, uh, once you feet and shoulders are squared off you should bend your knees a little and keep your arms loose."

"Ah, o-okay."

He watched her as she tried to recover and keep up with his act of pretending nothing had happened. She subconsciously put her hand over her mouth as she caught her breath. He found himself in envy of that hand. Takashi's mind was reeling at the fact that Haruhi hadn't tried to get away. She had been willing. She had leaned into him. She had _wanted_ that kiss.

He watched as she slowly came back to herself and her face clouded over with determination. It took her a little over a full minute for her to regain the correct posture. Once she had, he put himself into a professional frame of mind and continued with their lesson.

He promised himself that he would conduct the remainder of the lesson as though she were just another faceless student. Minimal physical contact and a restrained frame of mind would get him through this. He hoped.


	6. Pained

**Author's Note: **Hi. Sorry about the wait between chapters here. My holidays are over and I'm back at work so I won't be able to update quite as often as I have been. I'll still try to do at least two chaps a week for you but I can't promise anything. Thankyou to everyone who has reviewed.

Terms you may not recognise:

1. Sokuho Tobi - Sideways Leap

2. Kaeshi Waza - Counter Techniques/ Defense

**Chapter Six**

Haruhi hated this lesson. She'd made a fool of herself swooning at Mori like she had and despite his initial reaction, he'd still walked away. The worse part being that he only walked to the other side of the room and then went on acting like nothing had happened. And now he had her acting like a fool in a way that she highly doubted was a real defence technique. It felt like he was making fun of her.

"Didn't your father say something about side_stepping_? Couldn't I learn that? I feel like a demented frog." She complained as he declared that she should try another _sokuho tobi_¹.

"It is important for you to first learn to avoid the attacks that do the greatest damage. That means the group attacks from Tamaki-san and the twins. A simple step won't get you out of the way; leaping will. Try again."

"You talk a lot more when you're in a dojo."

"I talk when I need to. Teaching requires explanation."

"You talk a lot but you don't say anything." Haruhi grumbled in a voice too low for him to have heard as she walked back to the centre of the mat.

When he nodded she jumped to the side, yet again, trying to twist and land with her feet in the correct position. She really did feel like a demented frog even if Mori's example of the move had been flawless and graceful.

Five leaps later Haruhi was still feeling like an idiot. She knew perfectly well that she was scowling fiercely. Why did she even need to be doing this?

"Would you prefer to try something else?"

"Huh?"

"You wish to stop learning the _sokuho tobi_, yes?"

"Yes please."

Mori nodded.

"Shall we work _kaeshi waza_²; on how to avoid being smothered by Tamaki-san?"

"H-how do I do that?"

"That depends on how he approaches you." Mori walked closer to her, stopping just inside the sparing mat.

"Ano, he usually just runs at me with his arms out."

"Are his arms held out to the side or in front of him?"

"In front, towards me."

Mori nodded and studied her shoulders.

"We will try a blocking sidestep. I want you to bring your right arm up with your hand locked into a fist. Bring your forearm up parallel to your body then sweep it sideways so it will hit and deflect the outside of my arm. As you do that you will bring your right foot forward one step so that you are stepping past me. Understood?"

Haruhi was a little lost. It was a few too many steps to remember on the first explanation. Mori walked her through the instructions again, demonstrating the move as he did so. Once she saw it in action it was fairly simple, just one step with a simultaneous arm action.

"Okay. I think I've got it now."

"Correct your stance."

Haruhi turned her feet frontwards, concentrating a little extra effort on her left foot, then readied herself and nodded at Mori. A moment later he came rushing forward, arms stretched toward her. He looked rather ridiculous but she ignored it. He was doing this to help her after all.

Haruhi waited until he was close enough and then knocked his arms away as she stepped past him. The effort used to push his arms out of the way was more than she had been expecting and the moment she stepped forward her back seized up. Haruhi froze, trying to breathe through the pain.

"Good. You just need to make sure to follow through. Your arm stopped the moment you stepped. We'll try again." Mori moved to walk back to his starting point. "Haruhi-kun?"

"Just a second."

"Why are you standing like that?" He walked around to face her. She tried to keep the pain from showing on her face but he was just a little too observant. "Haruhi-kun?"

"It'll pass in a second."

"What happened to your back?"

"I'm not sure. It's just been like this since they knocked me off the stairs. It seizes up when I move the wrong way."

"Why didn't you tell me before we started training?"

Haruhi cringed both at the harsh edge to Mori's voice and at her attempt to straighten up. Mori stepped closer and took hold of her beneath her armpits. He slowly transferred her weight from her back to his arms. She took advantage of the weightlessness and straightened her spine out.

"It wasn't hurting me when we started."

Mori put her back down.

"Sit." She sat. "An injury like that can do a lot of damage. Especially when you over work the muscles before they've healed. Half the moves I could have taught you would have made it worse. You need to tell me about muscle injuries."

"It's not an injury, it's just a bruise." Haruhi muttered at the floor. She felt like a chastised child.

"It's a wonder that the leaping didn't set you off." he sighed and shook his head. "Take off your jacket."

"Pardon?"

"Take off the jacket of the keikogi."

"What's a keikogi?"

Mori just glared at her and Haruhi immediately stopped playing dumb. She tried to undo the belt but she was unfamiliar with the way it had been tied and made the knot worse. Mori ended up pushing her hands out of the way and undoing it himself. Thankfully he left it to Haruhi to actually remove the jacket.

Once it was off, he moved around behind her and sat down. Haruhi was a little nervous about what he had planned. She nearly yelped when he put his hands on her back, over her top.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Ano, in the pull-y bit between my shoulder blade and my hip."

"If it's pulling then it's definitely a muscle injury and you just described ninety percent of your back." Haruhi cringed.

"There is a line between my shoulder blade and my hip that hurts when I pull on it."

"Which side?"

Haruhi twisted her arm backwards and pointed to the line of muscle she was talking about. Mori grunted and knocked her arm out of the way.

"Don't twist your arm like that; it might make the injury worse."

She wanted to argue that she wouldn't have done it if it hurt her but he was in foul mood and her arguing would only make it worse. Instead she tried to sit silently while he prodded her back.

..o0o..

Takashi tried not to think about what he was doing as he worked on releasing the tension in Haruhi's back. She was warm, even through the fabric of her top. More importantly, she was tense. How could she not have mentioned this? The idea of causing her an injury made him sick to the stomach.

He braced one palm against her spine hand started working his way along the muscle with his other. He was pushing harder than most people would be comfortable with but it was the only way to affect it deep enough to do any good.

"Ow! Sempai that hurts."

"Nn. It's supposed to."

"Ah, stop! Is this punishment for not telling you I was hurt?"

Takashi stopped and looked down at the back of her head.

"Punishment? Haruhi-kun, do you really think I would do that?"

She turned to sit facing him and her face softened when she saw his expression.

"I would never do something so dishonourable." he assured her.

"I know. I'm sorry I said it. It just really hurt and I was in a bad mood. I didn't mean it."

"I had to push that hard or it won't do any good. Back injuries are dangerous. If you don't take care of them they will follow you for the rest of your life."

"Back injury? Takashi, did you hurt your friend?"

Takashi looked up to find the sweaty face of Mina staring down at them. This was exactly what he didn't need.

"The injury is from a couple of days ago, I just wasn't told about it until the training made it worse." he explained before making the necessary introductions. "Mina-kun, this is Fujioka Haruhi-san. Haruhi-kun, this is Murakami Minako-san." As he made the introductions he watched Mina appraise Haruhi.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Fujioka-san."

"A pleasure to meet you too, Murakami-san."

"I must say, my Takashi does have handsome friends. Do you have a girlfriend, Fujioka-san?"

Takashi opened his mouth to ask if Mina had heard about Haruhi from someone at his school but Haruhi beat him to it.

"Actually, I'm a female. And since my back obviously won't let me continue this nonsense for today, I guess I'll leave you and '_your Takashi_' to get on with some real training. Goodbye."

He sat and watched as Haruhi hoisted herself back onto her feet and stalked out of the room as much as she could without angering her back further.

"Oh, my! I've offended her. I can't believe I said that. Why didn't anyone tell me she was a girl!?" Mina was flapping all over the place. She never had been terribly good at dealing with people but this was a whole new level of ineptitude. "D-do you think I should find her and apologise or let her cool off a bit first?"

"No, give her time. I'll talk to her for you. She's really not that vein, but she's having a bad day, and in rather a lot of pain at the moment."

"Really? Oh, thank goodness. I'm so sorry I offended your friend, Takashi. Will you forgive me?" She dropped onto her knees in front of him leaning in just a little too close.

"Nn. I'll go talk to her. She still needs treatment for her back."

He left as fast as he could while still being polite.

After several minutes of knocking on, and talking through, the door to the female change rooms, Takashi gave up and poked his head in. There was no one in there, but there was a neatly folded pile of clothes that looked as though they may belong to Haruhi, sitting on the bench.

Takashi called out again. There was no reply. He walked in further and looked around. There was definitely no one in there, not even in the showers. The only thing he could assume was that she had gone back to the house without changing. He hesitated about taking her clothes back to her. What if she wasn't at the house and came in here to find her clothes gone?

He spent a longer than usual trying to figure out what to do. He was almost scared of doing anything else to upset Haruhi. In the end he pick up the small pile of clothing and left the dojo, not bothering to change out of his own keikogi.

Author's Note: I know this chapter is a little shorter than usual but I promise the next one will more than make up for it. ;)


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